Cotton fabrics were treated by one-step sol-gel method. The pure silica
hydrosol and phosphorus-doped hydrosol were prepared with the addition of a
hydrophobic hexadecyltrimethoxysilane to decrease the surface energy of
cotton fabric. The thermal properties and water repellency of treated cotton
fabric were characterized by thermo-gravimetric analysis, micro combustion,
limiting oxygen index, and contact angle measurement. The results showed that
cotton fabric treated by phosphorus-doped silica hydrosol had excellent flame
retardance, and the water repellence was apparently improved with the
addition of hexadecyltrimethoxysilane.